FSAI probe into all evening primrose oil products
The brands concerned, Health Essentials Evening Primrose Oil Capsules and Biennol Evening Primrose Oil Capsules, were pulled from the shelves last week when a routine inspection by environmental health officers in Galway found they were contaminated with high levels of a carcinogenic chemical called Benzo(a)pyrene.
Benzo(a)pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), which has been shown to cause cancer after prolonged exposure. An FSAI warning issued following the discovery said significant exposures to PAHs may lead to adverse public health consequences.
A European Commission guideline issued last year recommended that no more than two milligrams per kilo of PAHs should be present in food. Of the two primrose oil samples tested last week, one was found to contain more than 50 times the recommended PAH levels. The Health Essentials Evening Primrose Oil Capsules were found to have PAH levels of 59mg per kilo while the Biennol Evening Primrose Oil Capsules had levels of 5mg per kg.
The retailers where the samples were taken, Aldi and Evergreen in Galway, were notified of the test results. Aldi stores nationwide have removed all batches of Health Essentials Evening Primrose Oil Capsules from sale and Evergreen has removed the implicated batch of Biennol Evening Primrose Oil Capsules from its shelves.
A spokesperson from Aldi said an internal investigation was under way to establish how the evening primrose oil had become contaminated and the company was co-operating with the FSAI.
The FSAI’s chief environmental health specialist, Jeff Moon, said that the issue was of concern because Benzo(a)pyrene was a particularly nasty chemical, but the fact that primrose oils were usually taken in small doses meant any risk was minimal: “The daily intake of these products means we are talking about very small amounts, which wouldn’t really pose a significant risk to health.”
Mr Moon said the FSAI was now working in collaboration with the companies involved to discover the source of the PAHs and a survey was being conducted of all available evening primrose products to ensure that they contained safe PAH levels: “We are doing the survey to see whether this is a general problem or not, or if this is just a once-off.”
Samples of all evening primrose products are being collected and sent to the Public Analysts Laboratory in Galway. The final results are expected before the end of September.
Phil Costigan of the Irish Health Trade Association said the producers of evening primrose oil represented by the association were working mutually with the FSAI on investigation. “Public safety is an important matter for us as well as the FSAI,” said Ms Costigan.
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